The present invention relates generally to exercise benches used for support when performing weightlifting or other resistance-type exercises, and is particularly concerned with a foldable exercise bench which can be folded up for storage.
Exercise equipment typically requires a large amount of floor space, regardless of whether it is in use or not. Thus, the advantages of a folding design for exercise benches and the like have been recognized for some time. Most prior art foldable exercise benches have disadvantages in that they require removal of lock pins before folding up for storage, and replacement of pins to lock the bench in the stored position. Such locking pins can fall out, be misplaced, or, if used improperly, may result in serious injury. One example of a foldable bench which must be locked in position via one or more locking pins is U.S. Pat. No. 5,882,283 of Stevens. In this case, a base member is pivotally connected to the frame and the two part bench is pivotally mounted on the base member. A stand is pivotally connected to the base member. A retractable device allows the bench and base member to be raised and lowered, and must be pinned in an extended position when the bench is moved into the raised, storage position.
Other folding benches are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,634,127 and 4,861,025 of Rockwell, U.S. Pat. No. 4,826,157 of Fitzpatrick, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,369,966 of Silberman. In each case, the bench is movable into a vertical storage position, but one or more locking pins or devices must be removed in order to allow the bench to be pivoted into the storage position, and the bench must be locked in the storage position.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved foldable exercise bench.
According to the present invention, a foldable exercise bench is provided which comprises a stationary frame, an exercise bench pivotally mounted on the frame for movement between a retracted, generally upright storage position and at least one deployed position for supporting a person during exercise, the bench having opposite first and second ends, a support foot adjacent the first end of the bench pivotally mounted relative to the bench for rotation between a first, storage position extending generally alongside the bench when the bench is in the upright, storage position, and a second, support position in which the support foot extends at an angle to the bench and engages the floor to support the bench in the deployed position, and a pivotal linkage between the support foot and frame for automatically pivoting the support foot from the second position to the first, storage position when the bench is moved into the upright, storage position, the bench and support foot each being freely movable from the deployed and second positions to the storage and first positions, respectively, by lifting the bench.
Preferably, the pivotal linkage between the support foot and frame comprises a four-bar linkage having a primary connecting link with a front pivot pivotally connecting a front end of the link to the support foot and a rear pivot pivotally connecting a rear end of the link to the frame, and a secondary connecting link with a front pivot pivotally connecting a front end of the secondary link to the support foot at a location spaced below the front pivot of the primary connecting link, and a rear pivot pivotally connecting a rear end of the secondary link to the frame. The bench may be supported on top of the primary connecting link. In an exemplary embodiment, the bench is formed in two separate parts, comprising a back rest and a seat, and at least the back rest is pivotally mounted on the primary connecting link for movement between a plurality of different orientations relative to the seat. Both the back rest and seat may be mounted on a carriage which is slidably mounted on the primary connecting link for bench adjustment purposes. Alternatively, the bench may be stationary, formed in one part with one user supporting pad.
The four-bar linkage is designed such that the bench is self-locking in both the exercise ready and storage position. The four-bar linkage thus acts to automatically lock the support foot in a safe and secure position in both the storage position and the exercise-ready or deployed position of the bench. This avoids the need for any secondary locking device which must be unlocked prior to moving the bench and then re-locked when the bench reaches its new position. Instead, the user can fold or unfold the bench quickly and easily using only one hand.
In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the front pivot of the secondary connecting link passes through an imaginary line or plane between the front pivot of the primary connecting link and the rear pivot of the secondary link as the bench is folded into the storage position. This provides improved locking ability, because the support foot must be lifted upward about its pivot connection to the primary link in order to unlock and unfold the bench. This reduces the risk of the bench unfolding accidentally if bumped, and allows the bench to be tipped or tilted without unfolding. In view of this, the support frame may be provided with wheels at a rear end, for engaging the floor to allow the bench to be transported when in the storage position, without fear of the bench unfolding. This is accomplished without requiring any pull-pins, through pins, or tension knobs, which was not possible with any prior art folding benches.
The bench may rotate through an angle of greater than 90xc2x0 when moving between the deployed position and the storage position. In other words, the bench is folded past 90xc2x0 (or perpendicular to the ground) in the storage position. This provides for optimum weight distribution, allowing the bench to stay in the generally upright, storage position without the use of a locking pin. Once in the storage position, the bench cannot easily be tipped over.
The support foot may have an attachment device for selective mounting of an accessory such as a leg exercise device or arm exercise device, or a support for the user when performing different exercises. Due to the stable storage position, any attached accessory does not have to be removed prior to storing the bench. In one example, the attachment device comprises an attachment tube secured to the foot at a predetermined orientation such that it extends substantially vertically when the bench is in the storage position. The support foot is arranged to project forwardly at an angle to the vertical when engaging the floor in the second position, for added stability and self-locking.
The support frame may include at least one upright member having a front side and a rear side, the bench extending forwardly from the front side of the upright member, and at least one horizontal, ground engaging member secured to the lower end of the upright member and extending a predetermined distance rearwardly from the upright member. This provides a stable base for resisting tipping of the bench when the first end is folded upwardly and rearwardly through an angle of greater than 90xc2x0. Wheels may be provided at the rear end of the horizontal member for transporting the bench in a folded, tipped orientation.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the bench is formed in two parts, comprising a backrest and a seat, and the backrest is pivotable relative to the seat into a plurality of different possible orientations depending on the exercise to be performed, including a flat orientation aligned with the seat for performing flat press exercises, a first inclined orientation relative to the seat for performing incline press exercises, and a second inclined position at nearly 90xc2x0 to the seat for performing shoulder press exercises. In one embodiment, the support frame comprises two spaced upright members with a cross bar extending between the members to which the bench is attached via the pivot linkage. A second cross bar is adjustably mounted at any one of a series of at least three different heights on the upright members corresponding to the different backrest positions, and the backrest lies against the second cross bar in each of the different positions to provide the desired backrest angle.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an adjustable bench apparatus is provided which comprises a support frame, a support bar projecting in a generally forwards direction from the support frame, a bench adjustably mounted on the support bar, the bench having a seat and a back rest pivotally movable relative to the seat between a plurality of different orientations, and a carriage slidably mounted on the support bar for movement into any one of a plurality of different positions on the support bar, at least the back rest being secured to the carriage, whereby movement of the carriage along the bar rotates the back rest relative to the seat. In one embodiment of the invention, the support frame comprises a pair of spaced upright members and a cross bar extending between the upright members, and the back rest is supported against the cross bar. The seat and back rest are both mounted on the carriage, whereby movement of the carriage towards and away from the cross bar will cause the back rest to rotate upwardly and downwardly about the pivot. Preferably, a support wheel is rotatably mounted at the center of the cross bar, the wheel having a groove, and the back rest has a pivot support which engages the groove. This helps to reduce wear as the back rest is adjusted, and reduces side-to-side wobble in the back pad or back rest during use.
Preferably, the cross bar is adjustably mounted on the upright members for positioning at a plurality of different heights. The height of the cross bar will determine the basic height and angle of the back pad, while movement of the bench pad carriage will provide further angle adjustment. This arrangement may be provided in conjunction with either a folding or a non-folding bench.
The folding bench of this invention is much easier to move back and forth between storage and exercise-ready positions, requiring only one hand and no lock pins in any position. The improved back rest adjustment also has many advantages in reduced wear, better stability, and easier seat position adjustment.